…Nonso J. Opara

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has again extended hands of fellowship to the Federal University of Technology, Owerri through its Research and Development Office headed by Mr Ephraim C. Nwokenneya who on Monday, May 6, 2019, led a team of officers to the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Prof. Francis Chukwuemeka Eze.

Speaking through the Director, Research and Development, Mr Nwokenneya, the Commission’s Chief Executive Officer, Prof. Umar Danbatta described NCC as an agency of the Federal Government responsible for regulating communications in Nigeria. He maintained that the indispensable nature of communications in the world today, cannot be over-emphasized especially with regards to employment as well as in mobile telecommunications while stressing the need to partner with the University in the area of research and development.

He told the Vice-Chancellor that his office would be sending research proposals to the University on a yearly basis for a period of five years which would be subjected to the University Evaluation Committee for evaluation as the 2017/2018 research agreement has just ended. Said he, that his office has concluded all arrangements to forward the 2019 research proposal to the University while expecting the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to be signed, come May 15, 2019, and hoped that the agreement would also help to open further frontiers of avenue to both establishments.

Responding, the Vice-Chancellor expressed delight to the officials for their visit. He described the University as a premier University, East of the Niger that has continued to win laurels both at the national and international scene. He expressed optimism that the synergy between FUTO and NCC will be likened to that of a viable seed thrown on a fertile soil following the inclusion of the School of Computing and Information Technology (SCIT) to the programme of the University with courses on cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, adding that the arrangement would attain its desired objective for the benefit of both parties.

The Vice-Chancellor finally thanked them for their previous cooperation and generosity to the University especially in the donations of laptops, whiteboards and projectors to the University.

Messrs. Chimezie Amadi, the Principal Manager, Research and Development and Kelechi Nwankwo of Research and Development Office, NCC accompanied the Director to FUTO. All the Principal Officers of the University were also present.

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